Woo hoo! Whether you just scored a hat trick on the soccer field or aced a big test at school, you might want to celebrate by raising your hand high in the air toward a friend or teammate. As they do the same and you slap hands together, you both join in the celebration.

That's right! We're talking about the high five. Although it seems like the high five has been around forever, the Oxford English Dictionary has only included the term as a noun since 1980 and as a verb (the act of doing the high five) since 1981.

The name “high five" obviously comes from the fact that you're raising five fingers (your hand) up in the air (high) when doing the celebratory hand gesture. But exactly how did this time-honored way of celebrating get started? As it turns out, there are several different versions of how the high five got started. The two most likely sources of the high five come from the sports of baseball and basketball.

For years, many people have believed that the first high five took place on October 2, 1977, in Dodger Stadium between Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker of the Los Angeles Dodgers. That day was the last day of the regularseason. Dusty Baker hit a home run that made the Dodgers the first team in baseball history to have four players with at least 30 home runs each.

It was one of those magical sports moments that boded well for the Dodgers, who were heading into the playoffs. The next batter was Glenn Burke, and he headed to home plate to congratulate Baker as he rounded the bases.

Burke raised his hand triumphantly in the air toward Baker who returned the gesture and they smacked hands. According to Baker, “[h]is hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back. So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do." And the rest, as they say, was history…

Or was it? Another version of high five history credits the invention of the hand gesture to Louisville Cardinals basketball players Wiley Brown and Derek Smith during the 1978-79 season. According to the players, Brown went to give a regular low five to teammate Smith during a practice session.

The low five had been a hand gesture popular among African-Americans since at least World War II. Instead of returning the low five, Smith looked Brown in the eye and said, “No. Up high." Brown understood what Smith was getting at.

The Louisville Cardinals players that year were known as the Doctors of Dunk, because they liked to play above the rim and slam dunk the ball. Brown thought, why stay low when we play so high? So they raised their hands and the high five was supposedly born.

Both stories are well-documented. But there are many other claims of high fives occurring in other sports even earlier. More than likely, the gesture developed simultaneously in different sports in different areas until it gained popularity.

One thing's for certain, though. The high five is a part of popular culture that is not likely to go away anytime soon. So the next time you want to celebrate an achievement with a friend, just yell “High five!" and stick your hand in the air!

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Wonder What's Next?

Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day might sound sad, but it’ll make you happy if you’re hungry!

Try It Out

Are you ready to learn more about the high five? Find a friend or family member to help you explore the following activities:

Ask an adult friend or family member to take you to a sporting event. It can be any kind of sport at any level from high school soccer to professional baseball. If you can't find a live sporting event, you can watch one together on television. Keep an eye on the players. How do they celebrate with each other when someone scores or makes a great play? Do you see any high fives? What other types of ways do they celebrate?

How do you like to celebrate your accomplishments with your teammates and friends? The high five is certainly a classic. But what other kinds of celebrations can you dream up? Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with a new way of celebrating. It can involve the hands or the feet or even the knees or the elbows. It's up to you! Your creation could be a special handshake, a dance or a chant, or a modified version of the high five. Let your brain roam wild. Daydream about winning the school spelling bee or your next soccer game. What kind of celebration would make your accomplishment extra special?

Celebrating with friends and teammates is great, but what happens when you lose the game, make a huge mistake, or don't play well? How can you be an encouragement to your friends and teammates when they don't feel like celebrating? What methods do you use to console people or lift their spirits? Offering encouragement to people when they're down can be just as important as celebrating with them when they're happy.

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Sydney

Dec 22, 2018

Wonderopolis, there is evidence of a high five nearly 10 years before you have listed. In the episode, “Mother Monkee,” (season 1, episode 26) of the show The Monkees, Peter and Mike high five. This episode aired March 20th 1967.

Oscar

Wonderopolis

Jacob Sartorius

Nov 6, 2017

Hello Wonderopolis, Thank you for helping me figure this out because me and my friend "Rice Gum" wondered this wondering please subscribe to my YouTube channel it is "Jacob Sartorius" and my friend's
"Rice Gum' we have a lot of subs and want more Rice has over 8.7M+ subs and I have over 2.7M+ subs so please give us some more

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Joe Marcuson

Sep 26, 2017

I was surprised when I saw this, but it has to be the first high-five. Bonanza, a tv show, has this documented on film. It was shown in 1966. Little Joe, one of the show's stars, high-fives one one of the members of an Indian Tribe (he was Chief Winnuccah's son), at the end of the show on the Pony Express. See for yourself, it is Part 2 of a 2 part series on the Pony Express.

Gummy bear

Wonderopolis

Feb 13, 2016

Another WONDERful question! We're glad you're WONDERing! We don't have that exact Wonder, but check out related Wonder #1559: How Old is Football? We encourage you to go on your own Wonder Journey, as well, at your library and online! :)

moviebuff

Wonderopolis

Mar 11, 2013

Hey there, Moviebuff! Thank you for sharing your comment about the high five! We wish there was video footage to document the very first high five, but we enjoy hearing the stories about Dodgers and the Louisville Cardinals players! We high five all the time here at Wonderopolis! How do you celebrate a winning goal or a great game? Do you high five? :)

haleigh

Wonderopolis

Oct 2, 2012

Hi there, Haleigh! We're so glad that you're WONDERing about that classic greeting-- we are sending you a virtual high five now! :) We hope you have a SUPER day-- don't forget to share the high five with others today! :)

Team McNeil 6

Apr 23, 2012

Hi Wonderopolis People,
:D
I think the video was funny because the guys in it seemed like they were high five pros. They thought that they could be the best high fivers in all. I'm pretty good at high fiving, myself. Anyway, there were two words that I've really never had heard of. Those words were boded and triumphantly. Those were some pretty interesting words. That's cool that people believe that the first high five was on October 2, 1977 (believed). That's also cool thinking that the African-Americans would do low fives. That would actually be kind of hard I think. I wonder if African-Americans INVENTED the low five. What I mean by invented is that it said that it was popular among them, but did they invent it?
Your Wonderopolis Friend,
Team McNeil 6

Wonderopolis

Apr 24, 2012

Here's a Wonderopolis "high five" for all the GREAT WONDERing you did today, Team McNeil 6! We enjoyed hearing the cool facts and new words you learned by exploring this Wonder of the Day®! We will both have to do some more WONDERing about who actually invented the low five. We appreciate you helping us WONDER more about that, too! :-)

Hannah Kwon

Apr 22, 2012

Hi, wonderopolis! Although I am doing high five almost everyday with my friends, I did not know when it began and who started it. I felt so interesting to hear that the high five started by baseball players and basketball players. In sports, people do the high five to celebrate the triumph. I am wondering why people do the high five only with friends they like.

Saad alblwi

Wonderopolis

Cassidy

Apr 16, 2012

I think that the video is very weird. We tried it all day and it worked. I thought that was very weird, too. I wonder who invented the hand shake. You should do a wonder on that!! Thank you for responding!!

Earthling Alice

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

That's a GREAT question, Alice! We think it would probably just sound more like a "slap" than a "pop!" Thanks so much for hanging out in Wonderopolis with us today and for leaving us this GREAT comment! :-)

Annie

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

We're glad you thought today's Wonder was interesting and that it was something you had always WONDERed about, Annie! We had FUN learning about the origins of the "high five," and we're glad you did, too! Have a WONDERful day! :-)

ruth

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

We’re super sorry you’re having trouble viewing today’s Wonder video, Ruth. Some schools and school districts put “blocks” on websites and videos because they are in charge of making sure the videos and links that students see while exploring the internet at school are safe for viewing. Because the videos we choose to go along with each of our Wonders are “borrowed” from many different places around the internet, like YouTube and Vimeo, it might be a “block” from your school or district that is keeping you from seeing the Wonder video. You might want to check with your teacher or librarian to see about getting the block removed! :-)

Robert

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

We're super sorry you didn't care for the video for today's Wonder, Robert, but we appreciate your opinion! We search for the best videos to go with each Wonder. Sometimes those videos help explain the Wonder better, and sometimes they are just something that is fun about the Wonder. Thank you for letting us know what you thought about the video! :-)

Wonderopolis

Miss Kirsten's Kindergarten GT...

Apr 16, 2012

We like giving high fives!
At first we thought tomorrow's Wonder might be about onions until we saw your last post. We can't wait for tomorrow because we don't know what it might be about! We'll keep thinking about it!

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

We like that you guys are going to keep your Wonder brains thinking about what tomorrow's Wonder might be, Miss Kirsten’s Kindergarten GT Class! We'll give you (and our other Wonder Friends who have commented) another quick hint: Think of what colorful word might also mean "sad." :-)

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

That's a GREAT Wonder, Olivia! Wonderopolis was created by LOTS of awesome people who wanted to share a new way to make learning FUN! Thank you for visiting today's Wonder...we're glad you're here! :-)

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

Happy Monday, Mr. P., Mr. Baumann’s 5th graders and Mr. Carroll’s 3rd graders! We like your guess about tomorrow's Wonder very much! Did you know there is a Wonder of the Day® about onions? It's past Wonder #54 - Why Do Onions Make You Cry? https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-onions-make-us-cry/. We think it's really fun to learn about FOOD! :-)

Wonderopolis

Mr. Draper's Class

Apr 16, 2012

We do not know what you mean by tomorrow's wonder...but are excited to find out! We might think tomorrow's wonder is why onions make you cry. We love to high five, low five and six five! Thanks for another amazing wonder!

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

Hello to all of our WONDERful Wonder Friends in Mr. Draper's class! Thanks for sharing that you love to give high fives! We do, too! In fact, consider yourselves "high-fived" for leaving us such an AWESOME comment today! :-)

caelah

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

Thanks for letting us know what you thought about the video for today's Wonder, Caelah! We appreciate your opinion! We think it's cool that your uncle taught you how to make those great smiley faces! :-)

Wonderopolis

Firebolt 101

Apr 16, 2012

I never really thought that high 5's were invented. I've just imagined them always existing. I predict tomorrow's wonder is about livestock. Can you do a wonder on some of the new dwarf planets scientists have discovered?

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

That's why it's fun to visit Wonderopolis, Firebolt 101...sometimes you get to find out cool facts about things you've WONDERed and sometimes you get to learn about things you've never WONDERed about before! Thanks for sharing what you think tomorrow's Wonder will be about and also for giving us an idea for a future Wonder of the Day®! :-)

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

Happy Monday, Gloria! We're glad you thought today's Wonder was awesome and cool! We think YOU are awesome and cool for being such a GREAT Wonder Friend! Thanks for hanging out in Wonderopolis with us today! :-)

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

Thanks for leaving us such an AWESOME comment today, Mrs. Russell's Class! Everyone here in Wonderopolis is really happy to hear that you guys like learning new things with us every day! We're not sure who invented the "fist pump," but we think that would make a GREAT future Wonder of the Day®! Keep WONDERing...we think you guys ROCK! :-)

Sydney

Wonderopolis

Apr 16, 2012

We invite you to re-explore today's Wonder to find out the history of the "high five," Sydney! There are LOTS of fun facts inside today's Wonder and even a link to learn more about James Naismith, the inventor of basketball! :-)